Although its subtitle refers to it as a memoir, Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars utilizes many of the genre conventions of magical realism. Some examples are subtle, such as Rapunzelle’s unearthly size or the “forgiveness cake” that spreads feelings of warmth and happiness throughout the community. However, at other times, the magic inherent in the City of Smoke and Lights is much more literal and palpable. In these moments, the elements of magical realism illuminate aspects of the characters inner lives—both individually and collectively—that are otherwise hidden in the unconscious.

Rapunzelle tells the narrator that she was once a user of a drug referred to as “Lost”—a drug whose seemingly hallucinogenic effects take literal form, visible not only to the user but to onlookers as well. The drug is called “Lost” because it literally allows the user to “lose” themselves and transform into something else entirely. Rapunzelle recalls that “[i]t changed you not just on the inside, but on the outside, too. Lost could give you blue eyes instead of brown, cat ears, a mermaid’s tail, skin as green as an alien’s for as long as the high lasted.